Michigan offers free Power of Attorney forms to help protect older adults

By Crystal Huggins

Free, fillable Power of Attorney forms can now be downloaded directly from the Elder Abuse Task Force’s webpage, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel announced today. These forms are part of the state’s ongoing effort to protect and empower older adults by providing accessible legal tools at no cost.

These forms help Michigan residents and families designate someone to make financial and medical decisions. They’re useful if a person becomes unable to make decisions on their own.

“These forms will help people exercise their rights and protect themselves and their family members from potential abuse or exploitation,” Nessel said. “We are grateful to the Kimble Center for Legal Drafting for making them accessible to the public.” 

The newly available forms: 

• Finances Power of Attorney: This form lets users decide who makes financial decisions for them if they can’t make them for themselves.
• Medical Power of Attorney: This form lets users decide who makes health-care decisions for them if they can’t make them for themselves. 

These tools are part of a broader initiative to combat elder abuse throughout the state. Launched in 2019, the Elder Abuse Task Force consists of more than 55 organizations from the public, private and nonprofit sectors. More than 100 individuals serve across seven committees and work on nine key initiatives. One initiative requires certification and training for professional guardians.

Among the task force’s notable achievements:

• Creation and statewide implementation of the Vulnerable Adult Incident Report form for law enforcement investigations.
• Development of statewide training for police officers, prosecutors, and Adult Protective Services workers
• Enactment of the Financial Exploitation Prevention Act mandates that financial institutions report suspected fraud or exploitation.
• Expansion of mandatory reporting laws to include financial advisors and securities brokers.

Over 100,000 older adults statewide are victims of elder abuse — experiencing abuse, neglect, or exploitation, according to the Michigan Department of Attorney General.

Michigan residents looking for elder abuse resources can call 800-24-ABUSE (22873) or 855-444-3911 to report suspected elder abuse.  

The forms are now accessible on the Elder Abuse Task Force webpage.  

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Michigan offers free Power of Attorney forms to help protect older adults